Best WR/TE coaches

Randy Moore

06/10/2008

With spring practice a distant memory and two-a-days not yet on the horizon, this is the time of year when football writers compile lists and/or second-guess the lists compiled by other football writers.

Dennis Dodd of cbssportsline.com has undertaken the imposing task of ranking the NCAA's top six assistant coaches for each position. He already came up with his picks for the top wide receiver coaches and the top tight end coaches ... and I already came up with some corrections.

I think Dodd is smart to list two SEC assistants among his top six wideout aides. Gonzales, who followed Urban Meyer from Utah to Florida, has had tremendous talent to work with in Gainesville. Perhaps Chad Jackson, Dallas Baker, Andre Caldwell, Jamal Cornelius and Percy Harvin would've been stars even without his help. Perhaps not.

Petrino, of course, followed his brother from the University of Louisville to the Atlanta Falcons to Fayetteville, where Bobby is now head coach of the Razorbacks. Is Paul for real or is he just another example of nepotism in the coaching profession? We'll see, I suppose.

I don't follow Iowa, Ohio State, Missouri and Hawaii well enough to know how good their receiver coaches are. But I believe there's another SEC receivers coach who should be on Dodd's list. In fact, he might be the NCAA's finest. That would be Joker Phillips of Kentucky.

Perhaps Dodd discounted Phillips because he also holds the title offensive coordinator. Regardless, Phillips has an imposing track record for turning out top-notch wideouts. His UK pupils include Craig Yeast, the SEC's all-time receiving leader, Keenan Burton (a fourth-round NFL Draft pick in '08) and Steve Johnson (a seventh-round pick in '08). In addition, the Big Blue has a potential All-SEC wideout for the season ahead in Dicky Lyons.

The high regard UK head coach Rich Brooks has for Phillips is evident in the fact he convinced school officials to pre-appoint Phillips as Brooks' eventual successor.

During his days at the University of Minnesota, Phillips turned Ron Johnson (Bears) into an NFL-caliber player. And, during his one year as wide receivers coach at South Carolina, Phillips helped turn Troy Williamson into a first-round NFL Draft pick.